Mercy Has Dominion Over Judgment

 “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”

‭‭John‬ ‭7‬:‭24‬ ‭KJV‬‬

John the beloved disciple recorded, “Stop judging based on the superficial. First you must embrace the standards of mercy and truth.”  Jesus clearly asks us to not cloud righteous judgment with our own biased opinions and traditions.  Let’s not judge because hypocrites wear masks!  Jesus had just healed the lame man on the Sabbath which the Pharisees took umbrage at.  They were really no one to judge Jesus because they themselves never practiced what they preached.  Here Jesus teaches that the law of mercy (healing the lame man), overrides the law of Moses (regulations of the Sabbath).  Seeing situations and people with the lens of mercy gives us true discernment.  It is good to remember that judgment is merciless for the one who judges others without mercy. So by showing mercy, you take dominion over judgment!  The Lord Jesus showed us mercy when He took the sins of mankind upon the Cross when He was judged by God Almighty and it was there that mercy triumphed over judgment.  Now through faith in the finished work of Jesus at the Cross, we receive mercy. And have dominion over judgment.  Thank You Jesus!

Christ the Wisdom and the Power of God to Us

 “I applied mine heart to know, and to search, and to seek out wisdom, and the reason of things, and to know the wickedness of folly, even of foolishness and madness: Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭7‬:‭25‬, ‭29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Solomon’s wisdom says, “I searched everywhere, determined to find wisdom and to understand the reason for things. I was determined to prove to myself that wickedness is stupid and that foolishness is madness. But I did find this: God created people to be virtuous, but they have each turned to follow their own downward path.”  We thank God today that through Jesus Christ we have received the Holy Spirit Who brings us the wisdom of God.  Today, we live in times where man has discovered how to replicate natural human processes with the artificial intelligence of machines.  This is the idea of humans to create a super intelligent AI that does what humans are meant to do by using their bodies and minds.  In the end human beings are made obsolete.  What a rebellious folly and madness to believe that! Nevertheless, the wisdom of God will be proven true by the expressions of godliness in everyone who follows Christ Who is made to us the wisdom of God.  The Church has the manifold wisdom of God which to unbelievers is a mystery, but to us believers it is the power of God.  Our part is to walk in the wisdom of God as we live before the unbelievers, and make it our duty to make Christ known.  Let the glorious Gospel be preached by the Church for it is the power of God to salvation.  Amen!

The Living Bread gives Abundant Life

 “And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.”

‭‭John‬ ‭6‬:‭11‬ ‭KJV‬‬

John the beloved disciple recorded, “Jesus then took the barley loaves and the fish and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to the disciples to distribute to the people. Miraculously, the food multiplied, with everyone eating as much as they wanted!”  Barley is the first crop to harvest in Israel as God told Moses, ““Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you enter the land I am giving you and you harvest its first crops, bring the priest a bundle of grain from the first cutting of your grain harvest.”  It is a picture of the resurrected Christ.  A barley loaf becomes a picture of Christ given to us in resurrection life.  He is the firstfruit of resurrection life.  When tempted by the devil, Jesus refused to turn stones into bread to satisfy His own hunger.  Yet here Jesus multiplied bread to satisfy the hunger of others.  Philip was hoping to give each one a little to eat, but Jesus’s supply is always abundant to satisfy the hunger of all.  Jesus is the Living Bread that came down from heaven and when we eat Him, we live forever.  Amen!

The Exceeding Great Riches of Our Lord Jesus Christ

 “a man to whom God hath given riches, wealth, and honour, so that he wanteth nothing for his soul of all that he desireth, yet God giveth him not power to eat thereof, but a stranger eateth it: this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬ ‭KJV

Solomon’s wisdom says, “God gives some people great wealth and honor and everything they could ever want, but then He doesn’t give them the chance to enjoy these things. They die, and someone else, even a stranger, ends up enjoying their wealth! This is meaningless—a sickening tragedy.”  This was Solomon’s tragedy, and all those who put their trust in the riches and systems of this world.  The prophets of the old covenant kept reminding the children of Israel to be separate from the idols of this world particularly the love of money and coveting it.  They prophesied of the Messiah Who would come to save.  “Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.”  In the new covenant, we have experienced the extravagant grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although He was infinitely rich, He impoverished Himself for our sake, so that by His poverty, we become rich beyond measure.  Let’s put our trust in the exceedingly great riches of our Lord Jesus Christ rather than the riches of this world.  Amen!

Belief in Christ’s Resurrection Gave Us Our New Identity

 “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭KJV‬‬

John the beloved disciple writes what Jesus spoke, ““Don’t be amazed when I tell you these things, for there is a day coming when everyone who has ever died will hear My voice calling them back to life, and they will come out of their graves! Those who have done what is good will experience a resurrection to eternal life. And those who have practiced evil will taste the resurrection of judgment!”  When we know our identity in Christ, we are used to hearing God’s voice for we are His sheep.  The day is coming when all shall hear His voice and will turn to the LORD and worship Him.  All those who didn’t follow Him will be judged whereas all those who heard His voice and followed Him were judged when judgment fell on Jesus at the Cross and will reign with Him forever.  This is so because our old identity has been co-crucified with Christ and no longer lives. And now the essence of this new life is no longer ours, for the Anointed One lives His life through us - we live in union as one! Our new life is empowered by the faith of the Son of God who loves us so much that He gave Himself for us, dispensing His life into ours!  Hallelujah!

The Word of God Written in Our Heart

 “Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. For a dream cometh through the multitude of business; and a fool's voice is known by multitude of words.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭5‬:‭2‬-‭3‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Solomon’s wisdom says, “Don’t make rash promises, and don’t be hasty in bringing matters before God. After all, God is in heaven, and you are here on earth. So let your words be few. Too much activity gives you restless dreams; too many words make you a fool.”  Jesus spoke about certain people who spoke many words and cautioned them from talking with many words.  People who talk a lot don’t achieve much.  Many think that making long prayers is pleasing to God.  But Jesus taught that when you pray, don't talk on and on as people do who don't know God. In fact Jesus called such people hypocrites.  Within earshot of all the people, Jesus warned His disciples, “Don’t follow the example of these pretentious experts of the law! They love to parade around in their religious garments so that people honor them wherever they go. They like to sit right up front in every meeting and push their way to the head table at every banquet. And for an offering they will pray long religious prayers at the homes of widows, cheating them out of their very livelihood. Beware of them all, because one day the Judge will strip them of honor, and judge them severely.”  In the ‘guru’ culture that we live in, it is better to heed the words of Jesus.  Let’s not just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let His Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by our life!  Amen!

The Living Well Gives His Living Water

 “Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)”

‭‭John‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭KJV‬‬

John the beloved disciple writes, “Wearied by His long journey, He sat on the edge of Jacob’s well, and sent His disciples into the village to buy food, for it was already afternoon. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”  The well was a “spring-fed well”.  This becomes a picture of the “spring” of the Jacob-life inside of every one of us.  Fed by Adam’s fall, this spring has flowed through all of humanity.  But Jesus sat as a “lid” to Jacob’s well, sealing its polluted stream.  In Christ, Jacob’s clever striving has ended.  The Living Well became a lid to Jacob’s well as Jesus sat there ready to give His Living Water to all who would come and drink.  A Well sitting upon a well.  The “water” Jesus wanted was the refreshing, satisfying pleasure of her devotion.  He says to each of us, “Nothing satisfies Me except you.”  The sinner drank of the Saviour and the Saviour drank of the sinner and both were satisfied.  Neither ate or drank, but both were satisfied.  Therefore with joy we will draw water from the wells of salvation. And in that day we will say: “Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted.  Amen!

The Church, the Gospel and the Kingdom of God

 “So I returned, and considered all the oppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter; and on the side of their oppressors there was power; but they had no comforter.”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Solomon’s wisdom says, “Again, I observed all the oppression that takes place under the sun. I saw the tears of the oppressed, with no one to comfort them. The oppressors have great power, and their victims are helpless.”  When we see nations where poverty is continuing for generations and led by oppressive governments and politicians, our hearts are cut with compassion.  This is why the Church was born two thousand years ago, when our God rose victorious from the dead and sent His Holy Spirit to empower the Church.  The Church is here to bring the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven.  The Church has the Gospel for the Spirit of the Lord God has taken control of all those who believe the Word.  The Lord has chosen and sent us to tell the oppressed the Gospel, to heal the brokenhearted, and to announce freedom for prisoners who are captive to wrong beliefs; to console those who mourn, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.  May the true Church recognise the responsibility God has placed on us to bring the Gospel to all, for God loves all mankind.  Amen!

Seated with Christ in Heavenly Places

 “And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.even”

‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬ ‭KJV‬‬

As John the beloved disciple recorded Jesus’s words, “No one has risen into the heavenly realm except the Son of Man Who also exists in heaven.”  Jesus shares a mystery with Nicodemus.  While He was on earth ministering, Jesus was also in heaven in the spirit realm.  Being in the two places at the same time is also the privilege given to every believer.  We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realm and living our earthly life to please Him.  This is what it means to be “in Christ”.  He raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.  “If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory”, Paul writes.  In the realm of the Spirit, heaven and earth is one.  Jesus is telling Nicodemus that only those who are seated in the heavenly realm will understand spiritual truths.  May we understand the depth of what Jesus tells us personally through His Word.  Amen!

God’s Seaon, God’s Time, God’s Purpose

 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

‭‭Ecclesiastes‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬ ‭KJV‬‬

Solomon’s wisdom says, “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”  Paul said when he preached at Athens that “God had made of one every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed seasons, and the bounds of their habitation;” God’s plans and seasons are appointed, for He had appointed for His Son to come in the flesh at the right time.  At God’s right season, the Word was sowed into this planet and the Gospel preached.  At the appointed time God judged Jesus on the Cross and Jesus conquered death through His resurrection and opened the way for mankind to have the opportunity to be born again by the Spirit into a new life in Christ.  Now at His appointed season He has brought to light through the preaching entrusted to all His disciples by the command of God our Saviour this wonderful Gospel.  This is the purpose of God, to restore humanity to His image and likeness which was lost by Adam and bring His family back to Himself through the power of His love.  Thank You Father!